Acres of Wildlife, a family-owned campground in Maine, reports significant operational gains after implementing the RMS property management system, citing reduced administrative workload, increased online bookings, and improved revenue tracking.
The park, which has operated for more than 45 years, features over 300 wooded sites, a private lake, and seasonal activities that have contributed to a strong multi-generational guest base.
According to a press release, the campground maintains a 90% return rate, creating rising expectations for faster and more efficient guest services.
Prior to RMS, guests typically had to call or email to make reservations. The shift to the platform’s Online Booking Engine allowed visitors to reserve sites directly and select preferred locations using an interactive map.
Automated confirmation and reminder messages now support the reservation process, which the park said is particularly useful because guests often book their stays months ahead of arrival.
The RMS Guest Portal added another layer of convenience, enabling guests to access booking information at any time.
Park Manager Tyler Davis said the system change significantly eased the staff workload. “Switching to the online booking engine has saved us over 32 hours a week and online bookings have increased tenfold in less than a year,” Davis said.
Davis added that the platform reduced the need for repeated communication. “This switch took a huge load off the team with fewer phone calls, less back-and-forth, and has given them way more time to focus on what’s important – the guests,” he said.
Before adopting RMS, the park operated with flat pricing and found it challenging to track add-ons such as golf carts, visitor fees, and late check-outs. The RMS Rate Manager now automates seasonal and demand-based pricing, helping staff ensure accurate charges.
Management also integrated RMS with Inex’s license plate recognition system. The campground reported that the automation now flags unregistered visitors and late departures, contributing to a 15% to 20% increase in visitor fee revenue.
The park also reported a 36.8% increase in average daily rate in July 2024 compared to 2020, attributing the gains in part to RMS-enabled pricing management.
Managing RV moves was previously a manual process that created last-minute challenges. Automated requirement reports now provide better visibility into upcoming arrivals, linking move data directly to reservations.
RV-related fixes have also decreased from as many as three per week to about one per month, allowing the team to focus more on guest services.
Chris Bonds, vice president of sales for North America at RMS, said the park’s results reflect the potential for legacy campgrounds to benefit from digital tools.
“Acres of Wildlife is a great example of how a long-standing park can use the right technology to protect its legacy while scaling operations,” Bonds said.
He added that the team’s adoption of automation helped create value for both staff and returning guests. “Their team embraced automation in a way that delivers real value for both staff and returning guests,” he said.
Davis said the RMS platform met the park’s needs and stood out among alternatives. “We looked at a few systems, but RMS gave us the most value,” he said.
He added that the pricing structure and support tools were important factors in the decision. “It had the tools we needed, the pricing made sense, and it didn’t charge extra for every little thing,” Davis said.
Featured image by Acres of Wildlife